Monday, January 30, 2017

Air is all around us. It sustains us. It ensures life,
for without air (oxygen) we cannot survive. When we breathe, we take more or
less of it into our lungs and send the rich oxygen molecules throughout the
bloodstream to nourish every cell, tissue, organ and bone of the body. When we
are working or playing hard, we may gulp in deeper breaths more often. When we
experience extreme levels of stress, we sometimes forget to take in that air or
even breathe so quickly in shallow gasps that the oxygen doesn’t get where it
needs to be. Where would we be,
without air?

Consequently, I incorporate breathing exercises and
metaphors about air and filling the lungs in my hypnotherapy consultations.
Through teaching my clients how to breathe deeply and completely, I also
provide them with insight about the power of this action and air to relax,
comfort, reassure and carry them through a stressful moment. When we can
breathe normally, naturally and deeply, that is one less thing the physical
body needs to worry about during an unexpected crisis. The subconscious mind is
already pre-wired for fight or flight. However, breathing—filling the lungs
with air and sending the oxygen to the organs that need it in a fight for
survival—takes some of the pressure off: the mind knows it has what it needs for instant action. Breathing,
especially when we are breathing deeply, is a harbinger of relaxation. Imagine
a scene in nature, perhaps in a forest or at the beach. A gentle breeze is
blowing, rustling leaves in the trees above or pushing the hair behind or in
front of your face. You can see birds in the distance, floating on the air
currents that carry them for a few heartbeats before they need to flap their
wings again to stay aloft. And then they soar again, motionless, for a few more
heartbeats before they fly away.

Air also represents power, such as the strong Santa Ana
Winds that blow through the canyons in Southern California in late summer and
early fall. Sometimes these winds—this air—is destructive. A particularly
strong gust can knock down trees or utility poles; motorists often report
feeling buffeted by the force of a hard wind as they drive down highways. In a
sailboat on the ocean or a lake, however, a strong breeze is necessary to move
you across the water from one shore to another. However, if there isn’t a motor
in or on your boat if the wind suddenly stops, you can be stuck in the middle
of that lake or ocean for a long time until that breeze kicks up again.

Air is a metaphor for communication. We think
of radio transmissions coming across “the air-waves.” We need air (oxygen) in
our lungs when we speak or sing to project the sound or intensity of the
meaning we are trying to communicate to someone else. The flute, clarinet,
saxophone, etc. are all “wind” instruments that use our breath to create the
beautiful notes that we hear as the breath is exhaled. During hypnotherapy, I
sometimes have clients practicepower
breathingto forcefully expel
negative emotions or distressing/stressful associations with their breath,
followed by a slow, deep inhalation to restore a sensation of calm and feeling
centered.

Finally, air as a metaphor can alternately represent
various emotions and states of being. Expressions such as “I feel light as air!”
or “I’m floating on air!” are used to express extreme happiness or exuberance.
A sentiment such as, “The air is so thick/heavy in here, I feel like I can’t
breathe” suggests some kind of oppression. The experience or image or
suggestion of standing in an open field with the wide expanse of sky above your
head and rolling hills below your feet often evokes a sensation of freedom and
exhilaration. The desire to inhale a deep lungful of air and appreciate this
sensation is more often an automatic response than a conscious action. Finally,
when we are in a closed room or small space for a long period of time it is
easy to become panicked and want to move, but opening a window or door just a
crack is often enough to reduce that anxiety.

This is what air can do.

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a
certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with
honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more
information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy®, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.